Police Chief Resigns After Emailing "Are You A Jelly Belly?" To Staff

October 25, 2006 12:16 p.m. EST

Jacob Cherian - All Headline News Staff Writer

Winter Haven, FL (AHN) - Winter haven city's police chief resigned all of sudden when employees criticized his "tough fitness talk" in an email, "Are you a Jelly Belly?" After the fracas, Police Chief Paul Goward did not give a reason for his resignation with immediate effect.

City Manager David Green told the Ledger of Lakeland that the jelly-belly email, urging employees to get in shape, was definitely a catalyst. Green backed up Goward saying, he did a good job in the last 21/2 years as chief of Winter Haven.

Goward wrote in the e-mail, "If you are unfit, do yourself and everyone else a favor. See a professional about a proper diet and a fitness training program...We didn't hire you unfit and we don't want you working unfit. Don't mean to offend, this is just straight talk. I owe it to you."

Apparently one of the officers made a complaint to city officials in a letter that read, "I have worked for the police department as an officer for a long time and I have never seen such a morale problem like there is and this letter from the chief of police is the icing on the cake."